Question

Degenearcy pressure arises when ________.
a) subatomic particles are packed as tightly as the laws of quantum mechanics allow an object becomes as small or smaller than Earth
b) the temperature reaches a critically high value the speeds of subatomic particles reach the speed of light a star's
c) core is producing less energy than the star is radiating away from its surface

Answer 1

Degeneracy pressure arises when sub-atomic particles are packed as tightly as the laws of quantum mechanics allow an object becomes as small as or smaller than Earth.

Answer: Option A

Explanation:

Degeneracy pressure is the outcome of quantum degeneracy. As stated by Pauli’s exclusion principle, that two electrons of same quantum number cannot occupy the single shell, this leads to compression of shells.

So when the shells are getting compressed, the pressure will be created in the nucleus due to this compression which will be opposing the compression of space of the subatomic particles.

So the more the sub-atomic particles will be packed tightly, the more degenerate levels will be created leading to more compression of size of the atoms even smaller than Earth. This leads to increase in the degeneracy pressure as the interaction will increase between the nucleus and delocalized electrons on decreasing the size of atoms.